Direct mail has a bad reputation among some people based on the misconception that it’s an outdated and outbound strategy that consumers don’t care about.
However, direct mail is potentially one of the greatest assets to any marketing campaign, especially seeing as 78% of consumers have unsubscribed from email lists due to an annoying overabundance of emails.
Many types of marketing efforts have become ineffective as they’ve been overdone. This oversaturation can lead consumers to ignore any tired efforts in search of something new to grab their attention.
Using direct mail can help you stand out, with mail pieces that complement rather than hinder your digital marketing efforts. You’ll want to make sure you do direct mail right, and the best way is to make sure that your direct mail campaigns work well with your inbound marketing efforts.
Here are some ways to make sure you get the most from your direct mail campaigns.
Determine Your Audience
Before getting started on any direct mail campaign, you should make sure your team fully understands the wants and needs of your audience. Your top priority will be to stand apart from the competition when it comes to appealing to consumers.
One of the first aspects of your audience that you should consider is whether or not they frequently check their mail. If a prospective customer is more concerned with checking their emails and keeping their noses in their smartphones, they’re likely not the best to target.
On the other hand, those who do check their mail and sift through various mail pieces on a daily or weekly basis will be more likely to see and pay attention to yours, especially if it stands out from the rest of the pile.
Be Aware of Where Your Prospects Are in the Buyer’s Cycle
Once a prospect has expressed interest in your products or services by subscribing to and following your blog, the next step is to lure them in even farther.
It’s important to keep in mind that all this potential customer has done is subscribe to your email list, which doesn’t mean they’re ready to buy just yet. They may have simply stumbled upon a topic that answered basic questions or was useful in some other way, giving them information they need. In this case, the recipient of your direct mail piece may not like the solicitous nature of it and instead turn away from your brand altogether.
This makes it necessary to understand where your prospects currently stand in the buyer’s journey, which will be the key to targeting them when it’s appropriate. If a prospect is toward the bottom of the sales funnel and ready to make a purchase, a postcard with a personalized message and relevant offer can drive them to finally become a customer.
How to Ensure Your Direct Mail Campaigns Are Successful
Here are some steps to take to help make sure you get the most from your direct mail campaigns.
1. Consider How Trackable Your Campaigns Are
Automating the tracking of all inbound efforts is a must, and should already be in place when you launch your direct mail campaign. In addition to tracking your online campaigns, you’ll want to track your direct marketing campaign through your online analytics.
Without any tracking in place, your direct mail campaign won’t give you measurable results to help you determine what’s working and what isn’t.
2. Maintain Visual Appeal
You could probably take up most of the space in a postcard or brochure with text describing your services or products, but this is likely to bore your direct mail recipients. Instead, keep it simple and concise, with an emphasis on imagery that sets you apart from other brands.
3. Make It Clear What Your Recipient Should Do Next
Try to stick to one CTA per mail piece in your campaigns, and make sure it’s easy to see. This will help eliminate any confusion about what to do upon receiving your mail piece and help maximize ROI.
4. Connect Your Direct Mail to Online Campaigns
Remember, the only way you’ll learn how effective your direct mail pieces are is to connect them to your online efforts through tracking, with specially designed content and landing pages built around the various offers you put out there. Through the use of a unique URL or phone number with a specific extension, a prospect can be directed to a landing page that helps to track their journey and help move them along the buyer’s journey.
Taking all of these aspects into account can help make sure your direct mail campaign becomes a vital asset to your marketing efforts, working with your online campaigns while attracting more high-quality leads and eventual customers.
